Stories about insider trading make the Louisiana news from time to time, but for many people insider trading is not a concept that they could easily explain. This blog post will provide basic information about the crime of insider trading and may serve as a starting point for those readers interested learning more about the topic. This post is not intended to provide legal advice and individuals with case-specific questions about insider trading may wish to discuss their inquiries with a criminal defense attorney.
Insider trading is a corporate crime that has its basis in fraud. There are several elements that must be present for a person to be charged with insider trading under federal law. Particularly, a person must be considered an insider in a company or organization in order for the charges to apply.
Being an insider involves having information about the organization or company that individuals in the general public would not be able to access. If a person is an insider and chooses to buy, sell or perform another transaction with the business’s stock he may be guilty of insider trading if the information he acted on was not publicly available. Insider trading allegedly gives insiders an advantage to profit at the expense of other investors, and can be very serious for those facing such charges.
Insider trading and other fraud-based financial crimes can be very complicated to understand and defend. Those who are subject to federal fraud charges and other white collar crimes often choose to work with defense attorneys to help them break down the many difficult elements that make up the charges. The consequences attached to insider trading allegations are serious and can subject those affected to imprisonment, fines and other significant penalties.